Aiming for the 3rd round of the Nabisco Cup, we must come to a conclusion.

The second leg of the Nabisco Cup 2nd round between Kyoto Purple Sanga and Tokyo, which took place at the Edogawa Ward Athletics Stadium. In the first leg at away (Nishikyogoku), Tokyo faced a tough situation as they conceded a draw despite scoring the opening goal. Today, even if the score is tied after 90 minutes, it will be a "decisive match that must be settled in extra time (and PKs)". Although the temperature is not very high, the humidity is about 90 percent, and Tokyo will aim for victory in 90 minutes and advance to the 3rd round.

The stalemate continues in the face of Kyoto's well-organized movements.

Kyoto has set up an aggressive formation close to 4-3-3, with right MF Matsui involved in FW Kazu's post play and FW Jes moving aggressively from the front line to the midfield. However, MF Matsukawa and Noguchi steal the ball with sharp reads and movements, and once they switch to defense, they show a coordinated movement with 10 players pulling back into their own half. Tokyo is tightly packed and struggling to find passing opportunities. In the 10th minute of the first half, TUTO dribbles down the left side and takes a powerful shot, but misses the goal. After that, Tokyo has TUTO playing a bit deeper, trying to create space and use Amaral's post to break through, but they are constantly met with sporadic attacks from Kyoto's fast-starting defenders. On the other hand, Kyoto is also actively attacking with Jes at the center, but they are unable to finish. Both teams struggle to connect passes and create chances. In the 30th minute, Kyoto hits a long ball to Matsui and earns a corner kick from the breakthrough. In the 32nd minute, they also have a chance from a corner kick, but are unable to score. In the 35th minute, Tokyo's Naito sends a pass from the left side, and Masuda cleverly turns his body to get past the defender and crosses. Kobayashi is waiting there and takes a header, but is unable to hit the target. The first half ends with a score of 0-0.

5 minutes into the second half, we concede the first goal due to Hegis's individual skill.

Both teams wanted just one point, and the second half became an intense game as they fought each other.

Early in the game, Naito boldly overlapped. He won a corner kick and Sakai headed it. In the third minute, Kobayashi cut into the center and passed to Masuda on the right side, pulling the Kyoto defenders. Masuda's cross was cut off by the Kyoto defenders, but they won another corner kick. However, they were unable to convert either of these chances into a goal. When Tokyo created a chance, Kyoto also counterattacked. In the 50th minute, they picked up a loose ball in the midfield and passed it to Hejis on the left from MF Endo. Naito was marking him tightly, but Hejis boldly cut inside and took a shot from a parallel dribble in front of the goal. The ball passed through Naito's legs with great force and GK Doi saved it with one foot, but the ball still hit the crossbar and went in. They conceded the first goal due to Hejis' individual skill. Immediately after, MF Endo aimed for a direct goal from a free kick. GK Doi saved the ball and Kyoto showed a double and triple attack in front of the goal. However, Tokyo managed to withstand this fierce attack and desperately wanted to score a goal. In the 53rd minute, they substituted Kina for Koike. However, Kyoto also brought in FW Oshima instead of Kazu, showing no signs of easing their attack.

Fierce attacks followed by fierce attacks! However, the goal is still far away...

Despite this, Tokyo creates chances against Kyoto, who gradually becomes unable to maintain a compact formation. In the 58th minute, TUTO jumps into Murata's ground cross, but just misses it. In the 59th minute, TUTO shoots from the left side after a good pass from Fujiyama, who had advanced forward. However, this also just barely misses the goal by one ball's width to the right. In the 63rd minute, Amaral quickly steals the ball from the opponent's defense and shoots, but it goes over the goal. After missing a great chance, other players struggle to get involved in Amaral's post-play, making it a difficult time.

Substituted Yukihiro for Masuda in the 68th minute. In the immediate 71st minute, they get a free kick near the center of the penalty arc, but Yukihiro's shot is blocked by the Kyoto defense. In the 74th minute, Kamiya is substituted for Kobayashi. They switch to a 3-top formation, with Sakai dropping back to the final line and Naito and Fujiyama in midfield. Sandro also makes attacking runs and launches a fierce attack, but they are unable to score a goal.

There were moments when Kyoto threatened us by aiming for a counterattack if we left any gaps. In stoppage time, TUTO, Amaral, Trasta, and then Naito on the right side from TUTO again. This was our last chance, and we put our hopes in Naito's right foot, but it went wide to the left of the goal and the time was up. It ended up being a heavy defeat with only one point.

Slight difference

Kyoto, who made the most of their one chance, and Tokyo, who showed a lack of finishing ability. It was a really close game. There were also careless mistakes, such as a lack of communication in passing in the last five minutes, which could be considered a self-destructive game. However, it is also a fact that solutions that were not seen in the 1st stage, such as Kamiya's post, Masuda's midfield control, and Kina's willingness to move forward, were seen against opponents who were firmly defending and not losing concentration like Kyoto on this day. Although they were unable to create a whirlwind in the Nabisco Cup, they need to switch their mindset as soon as possible and continue their winning streak in the league, where they are currently on a three-game winning streak.